Saturday, March 7, 2020

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from March 1st to 7th, 2020 - Updated #20

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

Support Leroy on Patreon:

SPECIAL - From YouTube:  Happy Birthday, Sis!

----------
SCANDAL - From Variety:   After a staff walkout, Hachette Book Group has decided not to publish Oscar-winning writer-director Woody Allen's memoir, "Apropos of Nothing."

----------
NEWS - From Variety:  South by Southwest or SXSW 2020 has been cancelled due to fears of the coronavirus.  The festival is held in Austin, Texas and there are currently 17 confirmed cased in the state.

----------
DISNEY - From Deadline:  Due to the minor reference to a lesbian relationship, some countries of the Middle East are banning Pixar's new animated film, "Onward."  However, some Middle East markets are showing the film.

----------
STREAMING - From Deadline:  Amazon will bring back new episodes of "The Kids in the Hall," its first "Canadian Amazon Original Series."  The Kids in the Hall is a five-man Canadian sketch comedy troupe and is best known for the Canadian TV series, "The Kids in the Hall," which ran for six seasons from 1989 to 1995, including the 1988 pilot.

----------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  On April 7th, Hachette Book Group will publish Academy Award-winning director and screenwriter, Woody Allen's memoir, "Apropos of Nothing."  Today staffers at the publisher walked out in protest and in solidarity with victims.

----------
STREAMING - From BleedingCool:  Matthew A. Cherry, who recently won an Academy Award for his animated short film, "Hair Love," will direct an episode of the "Saved by the Bell" sequel series for the "Peacock" streaming service.

----------
MOVIES - From THR:  Director Scott Derrickson directed Marvel's "Doctor Strange" and then exited its sequel."  His next project will pair him with one of Marvel's biggest stars, Chris Evans, in the Skydance thriller, "Bermuda."

----------
JAMES BOND - From Deadline:  Because of coronavirus concerns, specifically COVID-19, the 25th James Bond film has had its release date changed from April 2nd/April 10th to Wed., Nov. 25th, the day before Thanksgiving.

---------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  Action star Jason Statham exits "The Man from Toronto," in which he was to star with Kevin Hart.  Statham also leaves his agency, WME.

----------
CULTURE - From Medium:  Was the executed serial killer, Ted Bundy, the first "incel?"

----------
STAR TREK - From Deadline:  William Shatner says that he will not reprise his classic role of "Star Trek's" "Captain James T. Kirk" because the character is "played out."

----------
TELEVISION - From Deadline:  MSNBC's Chris Matthews announced that he is retiring, effective immediately (Mon. March 2nd), and that his show, "Hardball with Chris Matthews," is ending.

----------
CELEBRITY - TheNewYorker:  Michael Schulman offers this excellent interview of actress Pam Grier.

----------
BOOKS - From Deadline:  Lionsgate has won an auction for the film rights to Judy Blume's classic novel, "Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret."

----------
MUSIC - From Deadline:  Chuck D and the seminal rap group, "Public Enemy," have parted ways with band mate, Flavor Flav, after he objected to the group's participation in a campaign event for Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for President.

----------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 2/28 to 3/1/2020 weekend box office is "The Invisible Man" with an estimated take of 29 million dollars.

From Variety:   The Harrison Ford adventure film, "Call of the Wild," is likely to lose 50 million dollars, the latest 20th Century Fox dud that Disney inherited when they bought 20th Century Fox.

----------
TELEVISION - From THR:  The syndicated TV series, "Judge Judy," will end after the 2020-2021 season, which will be the series' 25th season.  Host Judy Sheindlin will star in a new series, "Judy Justice," that is scheduled to begin sometime in 2022

----------
TELEVISION - From Deadline:  CBS is ending its current iteration of "Hawaii Five-o" (a remake of the original series that ran from 1968 to 1980) after 10 seasons and 240 episodes.  The two-hour series finale will air April 3rd, 2020.

----------
MOVIES - From CNBC:  Director Rian Johnson ("Knives Out") says that Apple will permit film productions to use its products onscreen.  BUT Apple does not want "bad characters" to have an iPhone on camera.


OBITS:

From Variety:  Jazz piano legend, McCoy Tyner, has died at the age of 81, Friday, March 6, 2020.  Tyner joined the "John Coltrane Quartet" in 1960 and his thunderous piano playing became a signature element in some of John Coltrane's greatest works, including "A Love Supreme" (1964).  As a band leader, Tyner also produced a voluminous catalog of LPs, including his career defining "Sahara" (1972), "Enlightenment" (1973), and "Atlantis" (1974).

From Variety:  Actor, TV host, and educator, James Lipton, has died at the age of 93, Monday, March 2, 2020.  Lipton was best known as the creator, host, and executive producer of the Bravo TV series, "Inside the Actors Studio."  Lipton was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award 20 times and won in 2013 for "Outstanding Informational Series or Special" (in a tie with "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown").


TRAILERS:

From THR:  Jordan Peele debuts the first trailer for his new film, "Candyman," which he produced and Nia DaCosta.  The film is due June 12, 2020.

Friday, March 6, 2020

Yen Press Acquires "Konosuba" Light Novel

Light Novel Acquisition Announcement — Yen Press Acquires Konosuba: An Explosion On This Wonderful World! Bonus Story: We Are The Megumin Bandits

NEW YORK, NY – Yen Press, LLC announced the acquisition of the Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World! Bonus Story: We are the Megumin Bandits light novel series by Natsume Akatsuki with illustrations by Kasumi Morino.

The right magic words can stir a person’s soul. For Megumin, those words are “vigilante justice.” Join everyone’s favorite one-trick wizard, as well as Iris the Headstrong, Cecily the Problematic, and Yunyun…as they get a taste of the righteous bandit lifestyle! Evil aristocrats beware!

“For the sake of justice, there’s no line I won’t cross! No criminal act I won’t commit!”

An ongoing bonus series that ties into the light novel spinoff Konosuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World!, which features the beloved arch-wizard Megumin as the protagonist, Konosuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! Bonus Story: We are the Megumin Bandits is a laugh-out-loud series filled with vigilante justice and plenty of Megumin!

Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World! Bonus Story: We are the Megumin Bandits is slated for release August 2020 in trade paperback and digital.


About Yen Press, LLC
­­Yen Press, LLC is a joint venture between Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group. Founded in 2006, Yen Press has quickly risen to become one of the largest and most prolific publishers of manga and original graphic novels in the North American marketplace and a driving force in the introduction of light novels and Japanese literature to new readers through its Yen On imprint. For more information, visit www.yenpress.com.

-------------------

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Paramount Announces "A Quiet Place"/"A Quiet Place II" Double Feature

PARAMOUNT PICTURES ANNOUNCES A QUIET PLACE DOUBLE FEATURE FAN EVENT IN ADVANCE OF A QUIET PLACE PART II OPENING

Fans will have the opportunity to experience the original and the sequel back-to-back in advance of the opening of A QUIET PLACE PART II

HOLLYWOOD, CA. - Paramount Pictures announced that on Wednesday, March 18th, 2020 it will be offering fans of A QUIET PLACE the chance to relive the original film in select theatres and be the first to go beyond the path and experience the next installment, A QUIET PLACE PART II before it arrives in theatres nationwide, Friday, March 20th, 2020.

Tickets for the double feature go on sale today, as ticketing launches nationwide for A QUIET PLACE PART II at https://www.aquietplacemovie.com/

Tickets can also be purchased at the box office at participating locations. The start time for the double feature is 7:00PM local time at participating locations, with the sequel beginning at 9:00PM local time. This double feature will be presented exclusively in DOLBY CINEMA and Premium Large Format theatres only.

Additionally, A QUIET PLACE Double Feature fans will receive an exclusive 11x17 collectors print, created especially for this one-night event, while supplies last.

In the modern horror thriller A QUIET PLACE, a family of four must navigate their lives in silence after mysterious creatures that hunt by sound threaten their survival. If they hear you, they hunt you. A QUIET PLACE is directed by John Krasinski, with story by Bryan Woods & Scott Beck, and a screenplay by Bryan Woods & Scott Beck and John Krasinski. Producers are Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, with executive producers Celia Costas, John Krasinski,  Allyson Seeger, Bryan Woods, Scott Beck, Aaron Janus. The film stars Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds & Noah Jupe.

In A QUIET PLACE PART II, following the deadly events at home, the Abbott family (Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe) must now face the terrors of the outside world as they

continue their fight for survival in silence.  Forced to venture into the unknown, they quickly realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path. The film is written and directed by John Krasinski, and based on characters created by Bryan Woods & Scott Beck. Producers are Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, John Krasinski, with Allyson Seeger, Joann Perritano, Aaron Janus executive producing. The film stars Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Simmonds, Jupe, Djimon Hounsou and John Krasinski.

# # #

About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of ViacomCBS (NASDAQ: VIAC; VIACA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television, and Paramount Players. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

About Dolby Cinema
Dolby Cinema delivers the total cinema experience, combining the most powerful image and sound technologies such as spectacular Dolby Vision laser projection and Dolby Atmos moving audio with inspired cinema design to transform every visit into a completely captivating, cinematic event.

----------------------

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Bandai to Launch Online Store, "Premium Bandai"

PREMIUM BANDAI USA BRINGS EXCLUSIVE GUNDAM MODELS AND DRAGON BALL FIGURES TO NORTH AMERICA

Premium Bandai USA Online Store Adds Limited Edition S.H.Figuarts Action Figures From Tamashii Nations And Gundam Model Kits From Bandai Spirits Hobby

Anaheim, CA – Premium Bandai USA is Bandai’s official online store and focuses on stocking high quality anime, video game, and Tokusatsu merchandise. These limited edition and variant products are not available from any other domestic retailer and include action figures, model kits, jewelry and other collectibles based on many popular anime and video game properties

Starting on April 2, 2020, Premium Bandai USA will begin offering highly sought-after and exclusive collectibles from renowned Bandai toy and collectible brands to domestic fans and customers. The catalog has been expanded to feature Tamashii Nation’s S.H.Figuarts action figure line and Bandai Spirits Hobby’s catalog of Gundam model kits (GUNPLA), including many rare and limited-edition releases that were, until now, available only to the Japanese market.

Nearly two dozen of Dragon Ball and Mobile Suit Gundam products will be available direct to North American consumers starting on April 2nd via Premium Bandai USA

Dragon Ball :https://p-bandai.com/us/cont/campaign/dragonball-cp01

Gundam :https://p-bandai.com/us/cont/campaign/gundam-cp01

Register with Premium Bandai USA before March 30, 2020, for a chance to win Dragon Ball and Gundam prizes!

What is S.H. Figuarts?
A new standard in action figures representing the state of the art Tamashii Nation design technology. Designed to realistically mimic the full range of motion of the human body, the series name is a contraction of the concepts of "Simple Style" and "Heroic Action." Standing roughly 14cm tall, the highly posable S.H.Figuarts figures are designed to feel like little treasures.

What is "GUNPLA"?
Gundam + Plastic Model = GUNPLA

GUNPLA is the common name for plastic models of Mobile Suits, Mobile Armor, and other robots that appear in the iconic Mobile Suit Gundam anime series.

Over 445 million GUNPLA models have been sold in the past 40 years since the first "1/144 Gundam" model was released in 1980. GUNPLA models are now manufactured in Japan with planning, product development and production taking place at the BANDAI Hobby Center, located in "Hobby City Shizuoka," in order to maintain high quality and accurately meet market demand while also ensuring uniformity in design.


About Premium Bandai USA
Premium Bandai USA is Bandai’s official online store and focuses on selling high quality anime, video game, and Tokusatsu merchandise. The product catalog features action figures, model kits, jewelry and other collectibles based on popular anime and live action properties.

Additional company information is available at https://p-bandai.com/us.

--------------------------

Monday, March 2, 2020

Review: "Queen & Slim" Lives in Power

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 4 (of 2020) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Queen & Slim (2019)
Running time:  132 minutes
MPAA – R for violence, some strong sexuality, nudity, pervasive language, and brief drug use.
DIRECTOR:  Melina Matsoukas
WRITERS:  Lena Waithe (from a story by James Frey and Lena Waithe)
PRODUCERS:  Pamela Abdy, Andrew Coles, James Frey, Michelle Knudsen, Melina Matsoukas, Lena Waithe, and Brad Weston
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Tat Radcliffe
EDITOR:  Pete Beaudreau

DRAMA

Starring:  Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, Bokeem Woodbine, Chloe Sevigny, Flea, Sturgill Simpson, Indya Moore, Benito Martinez, Jahi Di'Allo Winston, Soledad O'Brien, and Gayle King

Queen & Slim is a 2019 American drama, road movie, and romance film from director Melina Matsoukas and screenwriter Lena Waithe.  The film follows an African-American couple whose first date turns into a race for their lives after a confrontation with a violent white police officer.

Queen & Slim introduces Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith), a criminal defense attorney, and Slim (Daniel Kaluuya).  After three weeks of asking, Slim finally convinces Queen to have dinner with him.  After eating at an Ohio diner, Slim is driving Queen home when his presumably erratic driving attracts the attention of a police officer.  The white police officer (Sturgill Simpson) not only pulls the two over, but also makes Slim step out of the car.

Agitated, the officer draws his gun on Slim and shoots and wounds Queen.  In an attempt to save their lives, Slim tackles the officer, before grabbing the cop's gun and shooting him to death in self-defense.  At the urging of Queen, the couple go on the run, headed for God knows where... but it is a journey of self-discovery and maybe even of finding love where there was none.

Queen & Slim offers three excellent performances, by Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith in leads roles and by Bokeem Woodbine in a supporting role.  Kaluuya portrays Slim as a man who feels that what happens in his life has already been decided by fate.  Turner-Smith presents Queen as a woman who has a view of life that is not so much cynical as it is matter-of-fact.  She seems to believe that people, to some extent, can shape their own lives, rather than be subjected to fate.

As a couple, Queen and Slim don't fit, so what the actors present is the evolution of two characters that see the other side on the way to understanding one another.  There isn't really a magic moment, so much as there is an evolution – a kind of romantic journey of discovery.

On the other hand, as Queen's Uncle Earl, Bokeem Woodbine offers an eye-opening performance as a man who has found his kingdom inside, away from an outside that has no regard for him.  The last several years as seen Woodbine finally getting roles in larger and in more prestige projects, ones that both show off his star quality and his acting range.

Queen & Slim is also, in many ways, the creation of its writer Lena Waithe and director Melina Matsoukas.  Waithe's screenplay, based on a story Waithe concocted from James Frey's initial idea and story, offers more than just an “African-American take on the infamous killer couple, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow.”  It is a love story in which two people are forced to first discover and then plum the depths of each other's individual humanity in a way that much of country would refuse to do for either of them.  That is why this movie is not a crime drama, although the impetus for Queen and Slim's journey involves a crime.  Waithe's screenplay is a road movie that is also a romance, showing the power of Black romantic love to survive even when a maelstrom surrounds it.

In Queen & Slim, Melina Matsoukas presents a film of striking visual power.  Via Tat Radcliffe's gorgeous cinematography and Pete Beaudreau's sultry editing, Matsoukas drinks in the environments – from waterways and countrysides to rundown urban places and the interiors of old house – and finds the aching, painfully beauty in everything that surrounds the characters.  Even the off-kilter moments, shot at odd angles, draw the reader into the story.

And in the end that is what makes Queen & Slim an exceptional film – the story.  What begins as a contemporary tale of the kind of strife that seems timeless and eternal in the history of America becomes a story that hatches and becomes whole in the end.  Waithe and Matsoukas dare to make something different and are different enough to be daring.  So Queen & Slim is one of the best films, not only in 2019, but also in recent memory, and perhaps it will eventually be one for the ages.

9 out of 10
A+

Sunday, December 8, 2019


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

---------------------


BOOM! Studios from Diamond Distributors for March 5, 2020

BOOM! STUDIOS

DEC198910    ALIENATED #1 (OF 6) 2ND PTG    $3.99
NOV191305    BEN 10 ORIGINAL GN MANCHESTER MYSTERY    $7.99
JAN201329    BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #13 CVR A MAIN LOPEZ    $3.99
JAN201330    BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #13 CVR B LOPEZ    $3.99
DEC198675    BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #13 CVR C    $3.99
DEC198906    BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #13 FOC CHOSEN ONES VAR    $3.99
DEC198907    FOLKLORDS #1 (OF 5) 4TH PTG    $3.99
DEC198908    FOLKLORDS #2 (OF 5) 3RD PTG    $3.99
NOV191267    GRASS KINGS TP VOL 03    $17.99
JAN201321    KING OF NOWHERE #1 (OF 5) CVR A JENKINS    $3.99
JAN201322    KING OF NOWHERE #1 (OF 5) CVR B MORAZZO    $3.99
DEC198909    KING OF NOWHERE #1 (OF 5) FOC WARD VAR    $3.99
JAN201357    MAGICIANS #5 (OF 5) CVR A KHALIDAH (MR)    $3.99
JAN201358    MAGICIANS #5 (OF 5) CVR B SHARPE (MR)    $3.99
DEC191236    SOMETHING IS KILLING CHILDREN TP VOL 01 DISCOVER NOW    $14.99

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 4, 2020

DARK HORSE COMICS

NOV190279    APOCALYPTIGIRL AN ARIA FOR THE END TIMES HC    $19.99
OCT190343    BPRD 1946 - 1948 TP    $24.99
JAN200374    BUTCHER OF PARIS #4 (OF 5) (MR)    $3.99
JAN200343    CRONE #5 (OF 5)    $3.99
NOV190296    DISNEY MULANS ADV JOURNAL PALACE SECRETS TP    $10.99
NOV190291    DISNEY PIXAR ONWARD STORY O/T MOVIE IN COMICS HC    $10.99
JAN200347    KILL WHITEY DONOVAN #4 (OF 5) CVR A PEARSON (MR)    $3.99
JAN200348    KILL WHITEY DONOVAN #4 (OF 5) CVR B BARAHONA (MR)    $3.99
NOV190187    UMBRELLA ACADEMY APOCALYPSE SUITE DLX LTD HC VOL 01    $79.99
JUN190346    WYRD TP (RES)    $19.99